Advertising job vacancies

Experience over several years indicates extremely strongly the following strategy:

Use websites

If you have your own website, make all the employment documentation downloadable so that no-one has to send out documentation. It is helpful to create a simple web address which can be quoted in all adverts, eg www.IBwebsite/countybodyjob

If you don't have your own website, Churches Together in England can do this for you, eg www.cte.org.uk/countyjob. This is probably preferable to using the website of one of your member Churches as it emphasises the ecumenical nature of the appointment.

But do ensure that as many websites as possible have links to the advert and the documentation -- CTE's included. (Send your documentation to Lorraine Shannon. She will post it on our jobs page and upload it here.) And use social media to tell people about your vacancy.

Despite the cost, advertise in the religious papers

This cannot be stressed strongly enough. It tells people you are serious and, for some reason, gives more credence to other advertising. Experience has shown that when this step is not taken, the post has either to be re-advertised or the post-holder doesn't last very long. It sounds daft, but it's true. It doesn't matter if the adverts only run for a week or if they are very small.

Most Intermediate Bodies advertise in the following papers:

The Church Times

The Methodist Recorder

The Baptist Times

The Tablet

Reform is a bit more tricky as it is a monthly publication. If there is no time for this (you need to be quite organised to be in time), ensure your URC Synod knows why it has not been included and then work extra hard (see e-mail advice below) to ensure that the advert is circulated by e-mail to the URC.

Cascade adverts by e-mail

Send an explanatory paragraph, the boxed press advert and an A4 advert in Word form to everyone you can think of, asking them to put the paragraph/box advert in their newsletters, the A4 advert on their notice boards and to forward the e-mail to anyone who might know someone interested in the job. Send your email to all your contacts and ask the denominations to circulate to their e-mail addresses too.

Circulate adverts though denominational mailings

In addition to the e-mailed material, if denominations are mailing to clergy or to anyone else, ask for your explanatory paragraph, the boxed press advert and the A4 advert to be included in these mailings.